Our founding fathers’ dream for a canal linking the Chesapeake Bay ports to the western territories of Ohio and beyond was the equivalent of our generation’s dream to land on the moon. Like the space program, the vision for the C&O Canal was to facilitate travel, communication, and commerce between people and places. But unlike the space program, it fell far short of those goals.

The First Battle of Manassas
All-Day Tour

Sunday, June 5, 2016 - 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The first major battle of the Civil War took place on July 21, 1861, along the banks of Bull Run, some 25 miles from Washington. Congressmen and their families, not expecting a full-scale encounter, watched the battle as they picnicked on the slopes of the Virginia hills.

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The largest circulating Civil War digital newsletter includes advanced
notice of popular Smithsonian Associates tours, seminars and local Civil
War events, as well as a regular trivia quiz (with prizes), and original
articles and essays.

Take
an online tour, right now!

Don't live near a Civil War site? You can still enjoy an on-line tour
with narrative and photos. Sample our most popular tour, the John Wilkes
Booth Escape Route, with Ed Bearss.